In Venice, an unprecedented space in the Arsenale opens to the public for the first time. It will host performances.

For the first time, the Galeazze—historically used for constructing the Serenissima fleet—will open to the public during the 2026 Venice Art Biennale on May 5 and 6. Artist and choreographer Faustin Linyekula has conceived a site-specific performance titled The Galeazze Project, activating the monumental, water-adjacent spaces of the Arsenale Nord. Collaborating with musician Heru Shabaka-Ra, Linyekula integrates the architecture into the performance, involving local performers and musicians. The project, conceived by Cosimo Ferrigolo and Dirk Bell and curated by Edoardo Lazzari, features scaffolding, platforms, and an irregular lighting system, inviting the audience to move freely and redefine the relationship between bodies and space.

This opening matters because it transforms a previously inaccessible historical industrial site into a contemporary creative venue, linking Venice's maritime heritage with experimental performance art. The project is presented by Scuola Piccola Zattere and Studios Kabako, with support from Cosmogram, and is part of broader restoration efforts by the International Private Committees for the Safeguarding of Venice. It exemplifies how performance can reimagine architectural spaces and opens new possibilities for public engagement with the city's monumental heritage during the Biennale.